|
Robot farming comes to Edgar
Dutch immigrants introduce region to new technology
By Ed Wodalski
Ron and Ester Van Langen milk 130 Holstein cows - often up to
six times a day, but they seldom touch a one. That job is left
to two hard-working robots. The Van Langens, who emigrated from
the Netherlands a little more than a year ago, are the first
farmers in Marathon County to use robots to manage their herd.
Ron had planned to install a 16-swing milking parlor but found
it too expensive and decided on robots instead. While the
laser-guided technology might be new to Northcentral Wisconsin,
Van Langen says it's been a standard in the Netherlands for at
least 10 years. In many ways, the cows milk themselves, choosing
the times that suit them best. When an animal walks into a
milking stall, the robot recognizes it from a transmitter worn
around the neck. The animal is weighed and feed dispensed.
Before milking begins, each teat is scrubbed by a combination of
brushes; a scanning device ensures quick and precise cup
placement. The milk is tested and diverted into a disposal
container if impurities are found. Once done, the cow's output
is recorded and the animal is sent on its way - the entire
process takes just a few minutes.
More
Point clinic focuses on health, hope
Scoliosis Rehab uses physical therapy to treat spinal deformity
By Lori Kaye Lodes
Idiopathic scoliosis is a three-dimensional deformity of the
spine due to unknown causes. It is the most common form of the
condition that affects up to three percent of all adolescents.
Standard care is to observe the spine and wait until the
curvature reaches 25 degrees, then fit the individual with a
brace. If the curvature reaches 45 degrees, surgery is often
recommended. Beth Janssen, whose son was diagnosed in his teens,
wondered why the U.S. standard of care didn't include a physical
therapy component. A practicing physical therapist in the
Stevens Point area, Janssen understood the positive impact that
therapy can have on retraining muscles and alleviating pain. She
began searching literature and the Internet for options,
discovering the German Schroth-based method of treatment, which
had been used in Europe since 1920. Janssen felt a glimmer of
hope. "It was really the first thing I'd read that made
biomechanical sense," said Janssen, who traveled with her son to
Spain to meet with Dr. Manuel Rigo of the Elena Salva Clinic in
Barcelona. There she saw for herself how the treatment worked.
In 2003, Janssen trained in the method and returned to the U.S.
to assist her son in his exercises. Two years later, Rhonda
Campo, in doing research on scoliosis treatment for her
daughter, also discovered the European method and contacted
Janssen, who invited Campo to come to Stevens Point. "It was
amazing timing to learn that Dr. Rigo was coming to the U.S. a
couple weeks later for the first training course for physical
therapists," said Campo, who drove from Pennsylvania to
participate. That same year, Janssen combined her therapy
experience with Campo's business expertise in healthcare and
biotech to co-found Scoliosis Rehab Inc., the first physical
therapy clinic in the U.S. to specialize in the Schroth method.
More
People who make a difference
Wausau business partners help visually impaired enjoy local
theater productions
By Al Smith
Business partners and amateur actors Keith DuPuis and Kent
Perrin have played many roles in local theater productions, but
acting in support of local charities is what gives them the
greatest satisfaction. DuPuis and Perrin are co-owners of
Adrenalign Marketing LLC, a full-service advertising agency
located at 408 Third Street in Wausau. "My parents were very
active in charity work," DuPuis said, "and I got hooked in high
school when I joined the Key Club, a student organization
similar to Kiwanis." Perrin attributes his start in charity work
to his association with DuPuis. "Keith and I worked
together for several years before we started our own agency and
it kind of rubbed off on me. I began with Project Step Up, a
mentoring program sponsored by United Way, that helps families
develop money management skills," Perrin said. Since then, both
DuPuis and Perrin have worked together for several charities.
"We're actively involved in support of the local chapter of
Habitat for Humanity," DuPuis said, "and we're pushing hard to
help get ready for its biggest annual fund-raising event, the
upcoming Mardi Gras on Feb. 16." The pair also donate
their time with the Winter Festival portion of the Badger State
Games. But it's their mutual passion for community theater that
provides a focus for their charitable efforts.
More
Growth Strategies
Compass Insurance builds on service
By Al Smith
It takes more than hard work to succeed in the midst of the
worst recession in modern memory; it takes vision backed up by a
rock-solid business plan. That's been the key to the growth
achieved by Compass Insurance Services, 1205 Cedar Road,
Mosinee. When John Guerndt became a partner in 2003 he had
a clear idea of where he wanted to take the agency. "I had no
prior professional background in the insurance industry, but I
knew exactly how I wanted to be treated as an individual, and I
saw an opportunity for aggressive growth in the Central
Wisconsin market," Guerndt said.
"I believed that the keys to success were to thoroughly
understand client needs, to carefully select the best insurance
carriers and to hire the right people with the right motivation.
Insurance is an intangible and I realized that what we really
had to market was top-notch service," he said. Guerndt's
strategy began to yield immediate results and, by July of 2008,
he had obtained sole ownership of the firm and had moved the
agency to a new office in Mosinee. By the close of 2008, agency
revenues had grown by 600 percent and there seemed to be no end
in sight. Then the recession hit. "Most of our revenues, as much
as 80 percent, come from our commercial insurance lines,"
Guerndt said, "and when our clients' payrolls and their own
sales shrink, so proportionately do our premiums." Despite
the severe falloff in premiums, agency income ended 2009 at
about the same level as the prior year, a strong performance
given the current economic conditions. "We compensated for the
loss of income from commercial premiums by continuing to grow
our client base," Guerndt said.
More
Opinion
It really is a small world after all
By Ed Wodalski
In the past month I had the opportunity to visit ancient tombs
and temples, view King Tut's treasure, observe a Muslim wedding
ceremony, watch news of Haiti on British TV, meet a family from
Mexico, barter prices with a Nubian merchant, share an evening
sunset with a couple from Spain, and trade adventures with a
group of University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point students,
returning from a two-week ministry to China. The experience was
part of a 10-day tour of Egypt, the Land of the Nile, a country
oil rich and water poor, and, unless bottled, is mostly unfit to
drink.
It's so easy for us to complain about the economy, jobs,
education, healthcare and immigration until you experience life
through the eyes of others. Think 10 percent unemployment is
bad? Try 20 percent, with 14 percent inflation. That's everyday
life in Cairo, one of the world's most densely-populated cities
- where a baby is born every 25 seconds, adding to the 8 million
inhabitants - more than 81,000 per square mile. The next
time you're rushing to work, imagine a morning commute on roads
shared by donkey carts, scooters, tour buses, delivery trucks
and cars - all moving at once - where five or six lanes of
traffic quickly squeeze down roads made for three or two;
zigzagging down streets littered with trash and vehicles - not a
parking ramp or garage in sight.
More
The List
Per Capita Income in Area Counties
More
|
